The present invention relates to a new and improved signature handling apparatus having a signature supply assembly which supplies signatures in an on-edge orientation to a signature feed assembly which feeds the signatures one at a time.
A signature feed assembly is commonly used to feed signatures one at a time from a hopper onto a conveyor. One known signature feed assembly for feeding signatures one at a time onto a conveyor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,255, issued Dec. 25, 1979 and entitled "Wiper System Inserter". Known signature supply assemblies have previously been used to supply signatures to a hopper in a signature feed assembly. Known signature supply assemblies or hopper loaders, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,258 issued July 4, 1972 and entitled "Method and Apparatus for Feeding Stacked Sheet Material" and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,633, issued Mar. 23, 1976 and entitled "Hopper Loader". The signature supply assemblies disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,674,258 and 3,945,633 supply signatures to a hopper with major sides of the signatures in a generally horizontal orientation.
Known signature supply assemblies for supplying signatures in an on-edge orientation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,177,982 issued Dec. 11, 1979 and entitled "Sheet Feeders" and U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,297, issued Mar. 13, 1984 and entitled "Horizontal Bindery Loader Adaptor for Feeding Signatures into a Vertical Pocket". The signature supply assemblies disclosed in these patents supply signatures in an on-edge orientation from which the signatures are fed one at a time by a signature feed assembly. The construction and mode of operation of these known on-edge signature supply assemblies is relatively complicated. The complicated nature of the construction and mode of operation of known on-edge signature supply assemblies increases the probability of a jam or other malfunction during operation of the signature supply assemblies. Of course, the more complicated the construction of the signature supply assembly, the greater will be the cost.